Multi functional retrieval tool encopassing an array of uses to accomodate treestand hunters

ABSTRACT

A handy compact multifunctional tool used primarily by tree stand hunters, to help make every day hunting from an elevated position more enjoyable as well as to help get you out of the inevitable pinches that hunting throws your way. Having a series of rotatable grapples used for various purposes, including: retrieval of dropped or left behind items, grappling of tree limbs to be removed from the hunter&#39;s line of sight, a place to hang weapons or accessories while not in use. A handy dry storage compartment for storage of whatever the user sees fit is conveniently located in side of unit. Magnets are located on the sides and bottom for retrieval of dropped magnetically retrievable items. The grapples are attached to a shank or main body that will later be described which is attached to a rope used for lowering tool and retrieving items etc. When not in use the main body is designed to accommodate the winding and unwinding of attached rope which doubles as a tree stand hunters hoist rope.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I was sitting in my tree stand bow hunting in West Virginia onebeautiful autumn morning staring at a tree limb just out of reach. Thelimb was blocking mc from a clear shot where I suspected deer wouldapproach from. I first tried reaching an arrow out to pull the limb into me; I next tried throwing my hoist rope over the limb to snare it andpull it to me to be broken off. Unable to remove the limb, I thoughtthere has to be a better way. That is when the beginning concepts ofthis invention were formed and the ideas kept coming that would allowthis handy little unit to not only accomplish the above mentioned task,but many others as well, including the retrieval of dropped or leftbelow items when in an elevated perch, a handy dry storage compartment,a very convenient way of storing a hunters hoist rope and deploying ittangle-free every time, a place to hang a gun, bow, or any other itemsrelated to hunting just in reach but out of your way.

The sport I love, known as hunting, is full of elements beyond thehunters control—weather, wind direction, and game location just to namea few. Anyone who has spent much time hunting deer knows that the morevariables that can be eliminated the greater the chance of success. Tohelp tip the odds a bit, we hunters went to the trees in the form ofobjects with a platform and seat fastened in an elevated position,generally 15 to 25 feet of the ground. Today many companies manufacturethese tree stands in various shapes, sizes, and styles. Most deerhunters own more than one. The use of these tree stands by hunters hasopened up a whole world of needs specific to tree-stand hunting.

Hunters routinely spend 3 to 5 hours at a time, and some even 12 or 13hours, perched on the side of a tree in a tree stand. When someone putsthis much effort and time into something, the last thing they want isfor the opportunity to get a shot at your quarry to be ruined bysomething you have control over such as a pesky tree limb just in frontof you blocking a clear shot, or a coat left or dropped at the base ofthe tree easily spotted or smelled by the deer. This is where thepresent idea comes in. That limb that prevented a clear shot can now beeasily removed. That coat that you kept staring at as you shivered fromthe cold and then the deer spotted and took off before you could get ashot can be retrieved without leaving your perch. Dropped or left behinditems can be retrieved with this unit by means of rotatable grapplinghooks and a series of magnets embedded into the main body of unit. Thesegrappling hooks can also be used to hang objects commonly used byhunters while on stand. Tree-stand hunters always need a place to hanggrunt calls, range finders, coats, etc. This unit allows them to hangitems out of the way but in reach. The attached rope doubles as thehunters hoist rope used for pulling attached items into the elevatedposition, and it stores the rope neatly wound onto the shaft of unitready to be sprung into action free from tangles. A handy storagecompartment is located conveniently inside the main body of unit.

Prior art has addressed the need for item retrieval from an elevatedposition the most similar to mine being U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,537 inventedby Chad Robbins and Joey R. Cox. My invention is superior to theirs inseveral ways, better performing the task of retrieval as well as addingmany other hunter friendly uses conveniently packaged in one small unit.The advantages will make themselves evident in later reading.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, a new, improved, multi-functionalretrieval tool will be described. A hunter's hoist rope inevitably getstangled and can create frustrations on a cold dark morning prior toclimbing into the tree stand. S FIG. 8 shows the cure to this all toocommon problem. The hoist rope is wound WR around the main body of unitand held in place by the indented edges 5. When the hunter is ready todeploy the rope for use, a simple unclipping of the clip C, holdingclip, and throwing the gear grappler GG allows the rope to unwindbeautifully and tangle free, providing the hunter with a frustrationfree deployment (refer to FIG. 7).

Referring now to FIG. 9, the gear grappler is in its unwound appearance.This can be placed into the hunter's pocket and the tree can be climbed.Once in the tree at the desired elevated position, the hunter uses thehoist rope R to pull his weapon up to the elevated perch. Let's assumethat the hunter has a tree limb blocking the possibility of a cleardeflection free shot. Refer now to FIG. 1, the handy gear grappler canbe used to throw over and beyond the limb that is to be removed. Thehunter then pulls the rope R back towards himself allowing the taperedtop 2 to be drug over limb L. Once tapered upper section is beyond limb,any one of the flat sides 3 of main body will rest on limb, placing thehooks 1 in the perfect position to grapple limb. Refer now to FIG. 14.The hooks 1 are placed in the optimum limb-grappling location at a 90degree angle from flat sides 3. Referring back now to FIG. 1, continuedpulling of rope allows the hooks to take a hold of the limb. The huntercontinues pulling rope in until the limb can be reached by hand andbroken or sawed and thus removed from line of sight.

Refer now to FIG. 10. Our hunter friend has dropped his coat and haslowered the gear grappler. The hooks are in the open position ready foraction, the coat C has been hooked onto by the hood, and the hunter isthankful he had in his possession the gear grappler. He continuespulling rope up until the coat is reached by hand and placed on hisshivering body.

FIG. 9 shows a good view of the gear grappler ready for action. It alsoshows the handy dry storage compartment 6 and the dotted lines 15 showthe approximate depth and width of said compartment. I put matches andcotton balls in mine. When hunting, I pull the plug 11 out of the bottom(refer now to FIG. 15) and break off a little piece of cotton, let itgo, and it will fly with the wind showing the hunter just how the windis going to affect your hunt. Wind direction is very important whenhunting to help prevent the animals from smelling you.

Refer now to FIG. 12. The man M has dropped his arrow and has deployedthe gear grappler. For this, the tip of the arrow BH has been targetedand the hunter has lowered his gear grappler, allowing the lower magnet4A to make contact with arrow tip. The magnet has done its job ofattracting the metal broad head tip and the hunter is pulling the ropein to himself with arrow in tow. Refer now to FIG. 10. Our hunter friendis thankful to have his hunting chores accomplished and is waitingpatiently for his quarry. All of his hunting accessories are neatly outof his way but conveniently within reach thanks to the gear grappler.You see three items hanging from the deployed hooks 1: a coat C, a gruntcall GR, and a set of rangefinder binoculars RF. A bow or a gun can alsobe hung from the gear grappler. You see, this handy product performsmany functions.

The gear grappler comes in two preferred embodiments which are one inthe same as far as function but not appearance. The first will now bedescribed. Looking now at FIG. 5 beginning at the tip 9, the tip isdesigned in such a way to allow it to easily slide over objects. This isdone by a tapered top 2 gradually making its way downward to the mainbody 3 & 5. The flat sides of main body 3 promote the proper positioningof gear grappler's hooks 1, particularly when grappling tree limbs, butalso when retrieving items horizontally. Furthermore, when item is usedas seen in FIG. 10, the flat sides 3 allow main body to have maximumcontact with tree, promoting stability. A rare earth magnet 4B isembedded to be flush with each of the flat sides 3 of main body. Workingaround the main body, a concave of each edge or corner 5 gives a handyplace to wind rope as seen in FIG. 8. Also, it looks cooler as seen inFIG. 5. The main body has holes drilled into the bottom corners goingstraight up into body of unit. This can be seen in FIG. 5 designated bythe number 14. The grappling hooks 1, after leaving body, make a strongbend and face away from body and slightly upward. This angle allows formaximum grappling of dropped items from the elevated position. Also,this allows the tips of hooks to rest snuggly below body and notextending beyond the edge of body as seen in FIG. 6. These hooks can berotated as seen in FIG. 5, looking now at the dotted lines 10, thisshows the path of possible placements of the hooks. Looking now at FIG.11 a hole 6 bored into bottom of body 8 serves as a handy storagecompartment. Designation 15 shows the outline of compartment as it liesin body. FIG. 15 shows a rubber plug that is tapered to allow it to betightly installed into dry storage compartment 6, sealing it from theelements. A magnet 4A is embedded into the bottom portion of the plugand this magnet does not extend beyond the plug. This magnet is handyfor the retrieval of magnetically retrievable items directly below theuser. A threaded dry storage compartment with a plug with a o ring isalso well within the realm of possibilities for this invention. As seenin FIG. 2, a square shape is shown. This is the general shape of themain body of the above described unit. A rope R is attached to the tipof unit by means of a hole 7 drilled through the top. This rope bringsthe whole idea to life, also doubling as a hoist rope for varioushunting equipment. This rope can also be attached to unit via a holedrilled through the tip 9 downward until penetrating into the drystorage area 6. The rope can then be placed through drilled hole in tipand out of the bottom of unit. A knot is then tied in rope end to keepit from being able to be pulled back up through the drilled hole in thetip. This allows for a neat clean appearance and a unique attachment ofhoist rope.

The second preferred design is the same as the above mentioned squaremodel, except this one has a triangular shaped body. Three total hooksare used with this model instead of four as in the square model. Thetapered top of this model has three flat sides leading down to the threeflat sides of the main body. This tip is very similar to a trocar broadhead tip and a viewing of FIG. 14 shows the general broad headappearance of this model when viewed with the hooks 1 in the openposition and the tip 9 facing you. This design is not only functionalbut, I believe, also marketable due to the general awesomeness factor ofthis appearance catering directly to bow hunters everywhere.

The above described and prior viewed drawings serve as a description ofthe present invention in its preferred embodiments. It is understoodthat the words that have been used are words of description rather thanlimitation and that changes may be made within reason, without departingfrom the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 The man M, in the tree stand S, has a pesky limb L in his line ofsight just out of reach. The gear grappler GG has been thrown over limband pulled back, allowing the tapered top of main body 2 to slide overlimb, providing any one of the flat sides of body 3 to contact limb,allowing for perfect placement of a hook 1 to grapple the limb L. Therope R is then pulled closer to the user until it can be reached by handand sawed or broken and removed from hunter's line of sight.

FIG. 2 A view of the lowermost portion of unit is shown, also referredto as bottom 8, This shows a square model with the hooks in the openposition. The number 13 designates the hook's entrance point into thebody. The dry storage compartment 6 does not have a plug installed.

FIG. 3 A view showing the uppermost portion facing you, with the tip 9angled downward, allows a view of the side of body 3. The hooks are inthe open position and a good view is given of the concaved edges 5 andthe drilled hole in top of unit 12.

FIG. 4 The man M, in the tree stand S, has dropped a coat C, and isusing the gear grappler GG. He has lowered the gear grappler by means ofa rope R, attached to unit. One of the hooks 1 has been placed in such away on the coat C to snag it. The gear grappler with coat attached isthen pulled back up to user.

FIG. 5 A view of the square model with a concaved edge facing you, thehooks are in the open position. Three dotted lines labeled 14 extendinto main body to show hook shape in their entirety. Dotted lineslabeled 10 show the rotational plane of the hooks. Two flat sides areshown providing views of two of the magnets labeled 4B.

FIG. 6 A view of the lowermost underside or bottom is shown with thehooks in the closed position. A view of the dry storage plug 11 with themagnet 4A embedded is also shown.

FIG. 7 The man M, is deploying the rope R, by simply holding on to thefurthest end of rope from the gear grappler GG. The end is labeled CLfor clip. Throwing the gear grappler GG the picture shows the unwindingof rope and show the rope still to unwind labeled WR for wound rope thegear grappler GG is falling toward the ground G.

FIG. 8 A view of the gear grappler in the storage position with hooks inthe closed position, a side view of plug 11 and magnet 4A is shown. Theconcaved edges are shown to show their purpose of keeping the wound ropeWR from sliding off of the body when jostled around in a hunter's pack.

FIG. 9 An upright view with the hooks in the closed position is shown. Aclear view is given of various elements.

FIG. 10 The man M, in tree stand S, is waiting patiently in his clutterfree tree stand S, thanks to the gear grappler GG. The attached rope Ris wrapped around the tree T and tied to itself. The flat sides 3 ofmain body provide a solid rest against tree T. The hooks 1 are rotatedinto proper hooking position and various items can then be hung from thehooks 1. This drawing shows a coat C, a grunt call GR, and a rangefinderRF, all hanging out of the hunter's way but still in reach.

FIG. 11 A side view with tip of unit tilted away slightly, this viewshows the dry storage compartment 6 as it sits in the body of unit withdotted lines labeled 15. The hooks are in the open position. Twoconcaved edges 5 are shown.

FIG. 12 The man M, in tree stand S, has dropped an arrow A. He has inhis possession the handy gear grappler GG. He has lowered gear grapplerGG by means of the attached hoist rope R. The arrow is not retrievableby means of the hooks 1. Thankfully, an assortment of powerful magnets4A and 4B adorn the gear grappler GG. The magnet 4A embedded into theplug 5 in bottom of main body is placed onto the tip of arrow BH,thereby magnetically attaching itself to the gear grappler. Unit is thenpulled back up the tree to user with arrow in tow.

FIG. 13 This is the bottom view of the triangular shaped model. Thehooks 1B (ideal limb grappling position) are rotated into a positionideal for grappling tree limbs. Notice the empty dry storage compartment6.

FIG. 14 This is the top of body facing you in the triangular design.Notice the similar appearance to a broad head with the tapered top 16having three flat sides tapered down to the flat sides of main body. Thehooks are in the open position.

FIG. 15 This is the plug that has been referred to. This is a tapereddesign 11A to fit snugly into dry storage compartment 6. Notice themagnet 4A embedded into plug.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention is formed from necessity and truly solves many issues thatwe hunters face, bred by a hunter for hunters. There are many gadgetsthat function to meet only one need, the issue with this is that manypeople will not see a great need to purchase an item that solves onlyone problem, this is the human mentality. Hunters are even moreanalyzing of the items that they carry with them into the woods, factorssuch as weight, function, pack space and how often it will be used isgone over for every item that makes the cut into a hunters pack. This iswhy the present invention is designed to solve not one but severalissues that hunters face on a regular basis and all in a small compactunit that any tree stand hunter could appreciate.

When an item is dropped during a hunt from a tree stand the hunter has achoice to make, either you climb back down and back up again riskingspooking game and risking injury, not to mention it is just plaintiresome, or the hunter in some cases can simply go without the item. Inmany cases this will not work as the item dropped could very well be anitem of necessity and not comfort. In the event that the hunter has withthem the present invention yet another choice is given, this is simplylowering unit with attached rope and either hooking or magneticallyretrieving dropped item. In the event that a pack or bow etc. is left atthe base of tree and the hunter climbs on up realizing what has beenleft, a lowering of the gear grappler can save the dreaded climb downduring the hunt.

A magnet is embedded on each side of the shaft of unit as well as onemagnet affixed to the lowermost portion of gear grappler. The magnetsserve the purpose of retrieval of magnetically retrievable objects. Thepurpose of so many magnets is the one installed on bottom of unit isused to retrieve items dropped directly below user, here in WestVirginia items very well may hit the ground and roll down the mountain aways, this is where the magnets embedded into the sides of main bodycomes into play. The unit can be thrown beyond item to be retrieved anddrug over it allowing magnet to attach itself to item then simply pullrope in to retrieve item.

For items not retrievable by magnets a series of grappling hooks areaffixed to the lowermost bottom of shaft. The hooks are installedtightly and deeply into the shaft this gives great strength to thegrapples. This design also allows grapples to be rotated into whateverconfiguration the user sees fit and allows them to be nested neatlyunder the body of unit, this design element is very unique and addsversatility to an already versatile unit. The grappling hooks aredesigned to retrieve dropped items as well as items that may be in apond, stream or such body of water allowing the user to stay dry insteadof taking the, cold plunge to retrieve item.

The shape of the main body of unit is such that when the gear grappleris used to grapple tree limbs the unit is thrown beyond limb and drugslowly over the limb, the tapered top of shaft easily slides over limband rolls the shaft to one of the flat sides of main body this placesthe grapples in the optimum position to hook the limb. This tapered topto flat side design also allows unit to be drug over objects beingretrieved to be easily hooked by the exposed grapples. The edges of mainbody are concaved slightly this feature allows the attached hoist ropeto be wound around body of unit. Once in place the concave edgesprevents the rope from sliding of the top or bottom of unit when not inuse. When the hunter is ready to deploy unit for use a simple unclippingof the hoist end of rope holding end and throwing the unit will unrollthe rope beautifully with an easy tangle free deployment. The hunter canthen use his tangle free rope to attach to items to be pulled up intotree stand.

A convenient dry storage compartment is located inside the main body ofunit. A hole is bored into the bottom and up into the mid upper body aplug with the embedded bottom magnet is inserted into the hole in thebottom of main body to seal it off. This handy compartment can be usedto keep a variety of items I personally keep matches and cotton in mine.The cotton is used to determine wind direction break of a little pieceand let it fly and see just how the wind will affect your hunt, thematches are always good to have around and could potentially help tosave a life.

As mentioned this item has many uses, another one of these is theattached rope can be tied around a tree allowing unit to hang on side oftree, the grapples can then be rotated to desired position and thehunter has a handy place to hang hunting accessories, bows or guns. Theflat sides of main body allows unit to rest firmly and securely againsttree surface. As you now see this is a truly capable little item thatsolves not just one but many common issues that we hunters face.

I claim:
 1. A multifunctional tree stand accessory with multipleretrieval uses, as well as other uses, generally but not exclusively,used by persons in confining elevated positions for extended periods oftime, the tool can be used to retrieve dropped or left below itemsvertically and can also be used to retrieve items horizontally includingsmall tree limbs that can be grappled and pulled in to user and brokenoff to clear hunters line of sight, unit can also be used as a handy setof hooks to hang objects from when not in use, a handy dry storagecompartment is also included giving this unit even more features. unitis designed as follows: A generally square or triangular shaped mid tolower body, with the upper portion of body being tapered gradually to apoint, the edges of the upper-mid to lower section of body are swaged orconcaved to create a depression in the edges, the bottom edges have asmall bump or tit left that functions as a stopper this swag and titkeeps the attached rope from sliding forward or backward when rope iswound for storage, attached to the bottom of body are hooks three forthe triangular design and four for the square design, these hooks areembedded deeply into the body to give them substantial strength andmaximizing lifting capacities, these hooks or grapples are rotatable andcan be placed into any position to accommodate the products many uses,when not in use these hooks or grapples are rotated to rest directlybelow the main body of unit, the hooks are bent once leaving the drilledholes in main body and are bent at such an angle to allow the tip torest at bottom edge of body when in the storage position, embedded intothe flat sides of body is a magnet one for each side, these magnets aremounted flush with body so as not to create a snag for the various usesof this product, furthermore a magnet is attached to the dry storageplug on the lower center portion of plug this puts a magnet on thelowest point on the bottom of unit for maximum efficiency, a total of 5magnets for square shaped models and 4 magnets for triangular shapedunits, these magnets allow the retrieval of items retrievable bymagnets, the center of the lower to middle body is hollowed out to notonly make unit lighter but also more versatile this hollowing outcreates a dry storage compartment to place an assortment of itemsrelating to hunting and survival, a plug is placed into bottom ofcompartment to seal it from the elements, a rope is attached to top tipof body by means of a horizontally drilled hole through tip or bydrilling straight down through tip into dry storage compartmentinserting rope and tying a knot onto rope so it will not pull through,rope can be various lengths with the optimum length of thirty feet theropes outermost end farthest away from body is adorned with a clip orcarabiner to allow rope to be used as a hunters hoist rope, as well tobe permanently affixed to the unit itself, this prevents the hunter fromneeding two separate ropes for tree stand hunting.
 2. Themultifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 having a generally square ortriangular upper-mid to lower body shape.
 3. The multifunctionalretrieval tool of claim 1 having the outer edges of mid to lower bodyconcaved or swaged, item could have tits on the lowermost edges,providing a location for which to wind attached rope when unit is not inuse, this design keeps the stored rope in a secure position preventingit from sliding forward or backward.
 4. The multifunctional retrievaltool of claim 1 providing the user with a tangle free deployment ofattached rope by simply holding end of rope and throwing unit, the ropeunwinds beautifully and tangle free.
 5. The multifunctional retrievaltool of claim 1 having flat sides that allow the optimal placement ofgrapples for the various uses of product.
 6. The multifunctionalretrieval tool of claim 1 having a small tip at the top of body andgradually angling down and out to the upper middle of main body, thistapered top allows unit to be drug over objects without getting hung upprior to reaching grappling hooks.
 7. The multifunctional retrieval toolof claim 1 having a tapered top resembling a trocar broad head tip thisis described as follows: beginning at a point and having three flatsides moving gradually outward to the flat sides of main body of unit.8. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 having a hole locatedat each corner of the main body's bottom, these holes are for theinsertion of grappling hooks.
 9. The multifunctional retrieval tool ofclaim 1 having a series of grapples or hooks inserted into holes in thebottom of body and attached securely and tightly to prevent hooks frommoving unless moved by user.
 10. The multifunctional retrieval tool ofclaim 1 having hooks with sharpened ends or tips to better snag objects.11. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 complete with grapplesthat are able to pivot or rotate into any position the user sees fit.12. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 with hooks bent insuch a way to allow the outermost tips of hooks to rest just below thebody of unit, not extending beyond the outer edges of body when in thestorage position.
 13. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1having hooks with a generally straight appearance from the tip back tothe bend.
 14. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 having ahole bored into the bottom of body upward to the mid to upper-middleportion of body to help make unit lighter as well as providing a drystorage compartment.
 15. The multifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1having a plug to insert into bottom of dry storage compartment to sealthe hole in main body from the elements.
 16. The multifunctionalretrieval tool of claim 1 having a magnet embedded into bottom-center ofdry storage plug, this being the lowermost portion of unit, allowing forretrieval of magnetically retrievable items directly below user.
 17. Themultifunctional retrieval tool of claim 1 having a magnet embedded intoeach flat side of body, these magnets are inset flush with body and areused primarily but not exclusively to retrieve magnetically retrievableitems that are horizontally away from user.
 18. The multifunctionalretrieval tool of claim 1 having a unique way of attaching rope toitself, a hole is drilled in the uppermost tip of body straight downinto the dry storage compartment, rope is then slid into hole anddownward through the dry storage area and out, a knot is then tied atrope end to prevent it from being able to be pulled back throughpreviously drilled hole in tip of body.
 19. The multifunctionalretrieval tool of claim 1 having a hole bored horizontally through thetip of tapered top for the attachment of rope.